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Coskata Partners with ICM to Design and Construct Ethanol Plants

06 February, 2008 12:00:00

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After announcing its partnership with GM for the second-generation ethanol at the Detroit Auto Show, Coskata today announced a partnership with ICM, Inc. to design and construct a commercial ethanol plant using Coskata's biological fermentation technology.

ICM is North America's leading ethanol plant design, engineering and support firm. Its patented proprietary process technology is responsible for approximately 50 percent of North American ethanol production from plants constructed by Fagen, Inc. and ICM.

The first Coskata plant, expected to open in late 2010, will be the staging ground for the world's first mass-produced next-generation ethanol.

"Aligning with ICM on one of our first commercial plants is a natural choice because of their unrivaled biofuels technical knowledge and ability," said Bill Roe, president and CEO of Coskata. "This strategic alliance moves us a step closer to the arrival of Coskata's next-generation ethanol in the marketplace."

"Coskata and ICM will speed the commercialization of a process that will convert biomass into advanced biofuels from a number of renewable materials, at a production cost of less than $1 a gallon," Roe said.

Using patented microorganisms and efficient bioreactor designs, Coskata uses a unique three-step conversion process that turns virtually any carbon-based feedstock, including biomass, municipal solid waste, bagasse, and other agricultural waste into ethanol. The technology is globally applicable. The process is environmentally sound, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 84 percent compared to gasoline, as well as generates up to 7.7 times as much net energy as is required to produce the ethanol, according to Argonne National Laboratory.

"In addition to ICM's own research and development efforts, ICM evaluated other potential cellulosic ethanol technologies to identify commercially viable processes," according to Dave Vander Griend, president and CEO of ICM. "Coskata's thermal biomass conversion process offers promising technology."

"It has always been ICM's mission to help sustain agriculture through innovation," Vander Griend said. "Coskata's production process makes them a valuable ally as we continue to pursue advancements in renewable technology towards the creation of advanced and cellulosic biofuels as directed by the recent Energy Bill."